Chapter Twelve ~ Missing!

Reader's prov.

The next day was a completely joyous occasion. Levi decided to make good on his punishment, leading me to his office shortly after breakfast. My arms clad with cleaning supplies as I entered the old dusty room. It looked like this room had never been touched since the building had been built. Dust hung off the bookshelves, cobwebs lined the ceiling and dangled down off the shutters. The floor and the walls caked in grime and filth. I wrinkled my nose, sneezing at the dust particles in the air. Levi held his arm over his nose as he entered the room, squinting as he eyed the room. I hoped he was regretting his decision in choosing this room.

"Did you have to pick the dirtiest office in the building?" I questioned, placing my hand on my hip, tapping my foot in annoyance.

Levi turned and smirked at me, his smouldering steel blue eyes burning into my eyes as he walked over. He leaned in close as if he were about to kiss me before whispering in my ear, "No, but at least I know I can keep you in here for the best part of the day."

I gaped at the man, smacking him on the shoulder as I stepped into the dust filled room. I decided to start with the ceiling as any of the crap would fall onto the floor, which was my next joyous task. Levi smiled to himself and turned to leave. He but came back after a short while, carrying a large black leather chair, Mike trailing behind him, pushing a wooden desk. I could hear the wolf whistles from Mike as I sat up from my kneeling position and pulled the face mask down around my neck. The goliath blushed and turned away from me as I glared at Levi, who shrugged, casually pointing to his backside and looking up at Mike.

Groaning and rolling my eyes at the ravenette, I turned around and continued scrubbing the floor until it felt like my hands would snap off. The floor had taken three tries to get up all the dirt and grime, now it looked pristine and polished. However my knees felt like they were going to fall off from the pressure of kneeling on them for the best part of the morning. I grumbled, muttering under my breath as the men moved in the furniture as I finished up my cleaning. And as much as I hated the man right now, I was very thankful when Levi brought me lunch and sat on the floor with me to eat his. He gave me a small, sheepish smile as he handed me a plate and a teacup, filled to the brim with hot tea. I was completely parched so I downed the drink in one, not caring that I near enough scolded my mouth. Levi's eyes widened but he said nothing, turning back to his meal.

"You're almost done," He stated, shoving the last of his bread in his mouth, reaching behind him to put the plate on the desk.

"Levi, I have been in here for hours!" I grumbled, flopping down on the hard wood floor, draping my hand over my eyes as I puffed out my cheeks on a sigh.

Levi chuckled, "That will teach you to write bullshit about me then, won't it brat!"

"Fuck sake, Levi, I said I was sorry," I moaned, sitting up and pulling the mask back over my nose and mouth before turning back to the walls. Levi sighed, standing next to me and rubbing his hands down my arms, "I know. If you finish up with the walls and the windows then you are done."

"Yes Captain," I remarked, my voice adopting a sarcastic tone, which only rewarded me with a slap up the head.

"Less of the cheek, or you won't get the gift I got you this morning," he mumbled as he cleared the plates. The china clattering noisily as he loaded them onto a tray and walked out of the room.

A gift? What kind of gift? I've never received a gift from him before so what on earth could it be? With all sorts of questions swirling in my mind, I quickly scrubbed the walls until they were now a pale cream. The windows took a little more time, since the dust had stained the glass, but once it was done it was late afternoon and the sun was a giant orange ball above the tree line just on the horizon.

I glanced at the cupboard in the corner and decided it would be wise to put the cleaning supplies in there. That way Levi would always have the supplies with him, in case he needed to do a last minute clean up before bed. I giggled to myself as I laid the broom in the cupboard and closed the door. Whirling around the room and glancing around at my hard work, if he doesn't like it then he can clean the rest himself!

I dragged my feet as I walked out of the office and down the hallway, yawning loudly. I guess one good thing came out of today's cleaning session, due to Levi's constant comings and goings, I didn't get booted up the backside for missing a spot. But then again, considering how many times he has done it, I was surprised I could still sit down properly. The atmosphere changed, dread washed over me as ice flowed through my veins. Sending a cold shiver down my spine as I glanced over my shoulder. There was no one there, but that didn't alleviate the feeling. Every time I was alone, I kept getting this sense of dread. That someone was watching me. I hurried back to my room, closing the door behind me and sliding down the wood into a heap on the floor.

Tears welled up in my eyes, I couldn't understand why I felt like this. If someone was watching me, I would rather they just come out so I could tell them to piss off. I rested my cheek on my knees, quietly sobbing as the dreadful feeling slowly dissipated, leaving my body cold and shivering. My eyes felt like they had weights on them as the drifted closed and my breathing evened out, falling into a fitful sleep, slumped up against the icy wooden door.

I could hear a faint rattling of the door handle above me, pulling me out of my sleep. Gentle knocks tapped on the door and a familiar voice called to me. But I could barely open my eyes, I just shuffled away from the door and sat in the middle of the floor, hunched over by my bed. The door swung open and light footfalls stepped towards me. His voice silky soft as he brushed my cheeks with his knuckles, his warm fingers sending a rush of heat to my flesh. I dragged my eyelids open and stared into Levi's beautiful, but concerned face. His eyebrows pulled down over his stormy blue eyes, his hair slightly dishevelled and a faint blush dusting his cheeks. His mouth opened and closed but I couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing to my ears.

My breath caught in my throat as I edged closer to him, nuzzling into his chest. His warm arms wrapped around me as he supported my back and legs, carrying me over to my bed where he carefully stripped me of my belts and boots. He didn't speak as he slipped off his cravat, unbuckled his harness and pulled off his boots before laying down beside me. His arms encircling my waist as he drew me into his chest.

"What's wrong brat?" He asked. Despite his insult, his voice was very concerned. I had grown to like his insult, hey could even be my new pet name, despite the fact I hated the thought of pet names.

"I keep feeling like there is someone watching me," I whimpered, pressing my face deeper into his chest. My whole body curled up around him, I just wanted to disappear, so only he could see me.

Levi tilted my chin so he could look into my terrified (E/C) eyes, his eyebrows narrowing, "Well if there is anyone watching you, then I will protect you from them," he declared, his hold tightening around me, "They can fuck off, you are my brat. No one else's."

I smiled lightly and rested my head against my pillow, glancing up into his eyes, "Thank you," I murmured, running my fingertips along his nose and down to his lips. Tracing their shape. My fingers trailing gently over his cupid's bow. His lips curved into a small smile as he pressed a kiss into my fingers.

"Before I forget, I know I apologised about what I said about you parents. But I just wanted to apologise again, I was taking my anger out on you and you didn't deserve it," He muttered, his eyes lowering so he wasn't looking at me.

"Well you weren't entirely wrong with your assessment," I mumbled, closing my eyes at the painful memories, "You just had the wrong parent."

Levi didn't say a word, but his breath hitched in his throat, I could only imagine the look on his face as I recounted the shitty abuse that my mother had dished out to me, "That's the only reason I don't talk about her. She tried to control my life, she wanted me to turn out exactly like her. And if I disobeyed her orders she would get very angry and beat me. But she wasn't always like it, only after my father died."

Levi sighed gently, pressing his warm lips against my forehead. The kiss warmed my heart as he showered my face in adoring kisses, "I am sorry. I hope you know I would never treat you like that."

I chuckled, twisting my fingers up into the locks of his midnight black hair, "I know, but I still can't feel my arse from the amount of times you've kicked me."

Levi chuckled as well, "Well I think they have actually helped. Your cleaning today was perfect. I am sure if I look close enough, I could probably see my face in the floor."

I poked him in the cheek, sticking my tongue out at him. His eyes widened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. My breath hitched as he presented the box to me, pulling me up so I was sitting in his lap.

"Open it," he murmured, his voice rumbling through his chest against my back. With shaky fingers, I opened the box. The soft velvet, smooth against my fingers as I stroked the lid with my finger tips. Levi rested his head on my shoulder, his soft hair tickling my ears. I removed the small piece of cloth to reveal a small pendant. It was silver with two sets of initials engraved on the top with a small pair of wings beneath them. The Wings of Freedom.

L.A & (F/I) (L/I).

My breath caught in my throat as I picked up the pendant and held it up to the light. It shimmered in the firelight, creating dancing shadows across the engraving.

"Turn it over," he said softly, kissing the side of my head, burying his nose into my (H/C) hair.

I turned it over and read through the small inscription on the back of the pendant. My heart fluttering in my chest, tears welling up in my eyes.

You will always be my brat,

I love you,

Always and Forever,

Levi.

A sob broke free from my throat as I clutched the pendant to my chest, turning in his lap and pressing my lips to his in a sweet kiss. My tears melted on his cheeks as I threw my arms around his neck, caressing his undercut. My lips moulding to his, moving with his gently as he sighed through his nose. I pulled away and opened my eyes slowly, greeted by the loving gaze of the man in front of me.

"Do you like it?"

I smile and peck him on the lips, "I love it. It's the best gift anyone has ever given me," I said truthfully, "Thank you."

Levi smiled, brushing my cheek with his knuckles, "You are most welcome brat."

My smile faded as a frown creased my eyebrows, "Where am I going to put it?" I asked, staring up at his eyes.

"You know that braided bracelet, you could attach it to that," he suggested, getting up and moving over to my desk, opening the only drawer I had left and pulling out the bracelet. I nodded at him and handed him the pendant. He carefully and expertly attached the pendant and then wrapped the bracelet around my wrist.

"There, perfect," he mumbled, kissing the bracelet gently.

"Yes you are," I whispered, trailing my fingers into his hair. He laughed and pulled me down onto the bed, wrapping his warm arms around me once more and pulling the bedsheets up over us. There were no words exchanged, no sexual interactions, just gentle touching. Entwining our fingers together, our soft breathing filling the room as we drifted slowly into a peaceful, sleep in each other's loving embrace.

A few days later Levi had confirmed that none of the present soldiers at the Scouting Regiment were skilled enough for him to make additions to his squad. Many grumbled at the thought of a criminal leading a squad. Others seemed to have accepted that Levi was the strongest soldier out of the whole Regiment and seemed willing to follow him. However none seemed to meet his standard, so the next day Erwin, Levi and I rode out to the Cadet Corps training facility just in the interior of Wall Rose, a few miles away from the gate of Trost District. Erwin had business to attend to with the Commandant, whereas Levi and I were just interested in the newly recruited talent of the Cadet Corps.

Many fresh faced cadets run up to us as the Commandant saluted us respectfully. His grey hair tasselled in the breeze, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. The usual uniform of the Regiments, replaced with a long, dark green coat with the Cadet Corps crest on his shoulders and breast pocket. Levi hopped off his horse, handing the reins to one of the cadets who rushed over to take the horses. I landed lightly beside him, twirling my bracelet delicately with my fingers as I stood beside the Captain.

"I am Commandant Lawson, to what do I owe the pleasure of hosting two of the Scouting Regiment squad leaders?" the man asked, his voice low.

Levi glanced up at the man and sighed, "I am here to observe the cadets, I'm going to hopefully handpick some to join my squad," He muttered, handing over a letter from Commander Shardis to the Commandant.

The elder man sighed and read through the letter, nodding lightly before calling out to the cadets, "Alright you insufferable swines. Line up!"

Oh I haven't missed this place one bit, I shuddered. Nothing but verbal attacks from the trainers and gruelling punishments. The training itself wasn't so bad, but being in the Scouting Regiment made me realise how much I actually had forgotten about the place. It also makes the Scouting Regiment seem like slackers as there wasn't much training involved, more drills and expedition planning.

Once the cadets had lined up, the Commandant turned to us, his eyebrows creasing slightly, "They are all yours," he grumbled before heading off to the barracks with the taller Section Commander. Funny, Erwin is usually the talkative type, I wonder what is wrong with him? I thought as I watched the blonde retreat, his blonde hair set ablaze in the bright morning light.

The Captain stood in front of the recruits, eyeing them all shrewdly. I glared at the girls as they giggled when his eyes fell on them, oh great. I'm going to have to deal with hormonal teenager girls... who seem to have set they eyes on my man... oh the joy. I sighed heavily, crossing my arms over my chest as the Captain addressed the cadets, "Listen up brats! I am Captain Levi of the Scouting Regiment," Levi paused, turning to me, waving his arm in my general direction, "This is my second in command, Lieutenant (L/N). We are both here to choose some able-bodied cadets to join my squad in the Scouting Regiment."

I stepped up next to the Captain, clearing my throat, "I will be taking half of you to assess your hand-to-hand combat skills. Captain Levi will take the other half to test your skills at ODM," I announced, smirking at the Captain as he arched an eyebrow at me.

The cadets began to talk amongst themselves as they split themselves into two groups, one half mine, the other Levi's. I cracked my knuckles and rolled my shoulders, this would be fun.

"Lets get moving shitheads!"

Around midday, all the cadets had retreated to the mess hall. My half were quaking in their boots, nursing bruises and battered egos, while I seemed to be in good spirits. I bounded over to the Captain. It was another scorching hot day, and he was definitely a sight to behold. His shirt clung to his sweat covered body, his jacket slung over the his arm as he pulled his cravat loose around his neck. His hair dripping with little droplets of the salty water.

I smiled at him as I stood in front of him, "Well?" I asked, trying to keep my eyes centred on his face, and not his washboard abs that were visible through his white shirt. He shook his head sighing darkly.

"Only one so far, Petra Ral. You have any luck?" He grumbled, running his hand through his hair as he sheltered under a large tree. I came to stand beside him, accepting the cool shadows cast by the massive trunk of the tree. The leaves swayed above us, the branches groaning in the light wind.

"Zilch, nada. They were all pratting around until I asked each one to spar with me," I huffed as I tried to picture Petra. There were many young girls in this squadron, so it was quite possible that she was beautiful and very skilled. Without my realising, I began pouting and bowed my head. My fingers nervously twisting the bracelet on my wrist as I tried to concentrate on the question that was at the tip of my tongue, "So how good was Petra?" I asked, my voice conveying annoyance as I crossed my arms protectively across my chest.

Levi seemed to notice my hostility and walked over, tipping my chin up between his index finger and thumb, "Now Lieutenant, you wouldn't be jealous now, would you?" He asked, a smile in his eyes as they gleamed with amusement.

"No..." I scoffed, tearing my gaze away from his molten steel eyes, "Well maybe... surely you have noticed how all those girls were fawning over you." I pouted again and closed my eyes. Even though I knew there was no reason to be jealous, I knew there was no way that I would ever be able to keep this man. No matter how many times he told me he would never leave me, I felt that I would be kidding myself if I didn't expect that one day I would wake up to the sheets being empty and no Levi in sight.

"They can fawn over me all they like. I already have my brat, and right now she looks fucking adorable," Levi smirked, releasing me and allowing his hands to drift down my arms. His touch igniting my sensitive skin, the hairs on my nape standing on end as I glanced up into his eyes, "I love this adorable brat. And I will keep telling her that, until the day I die."

I smiled softly, gazing up at the adoring man through my eyelashes, "Oh really, and why does she look adorable?"

"Because she is pouting and jealous over some shitty cadets. Because she doesn't realise how beautiful she is and how much I love her," he said lovingly, quickly glancing around before chastely planting a kiss on my lips.

I giggled, kissing him back, biting his lip, "Oh I bet a certain Captain would feel pretty jealous if you heard what the male cadets were saying about this adorable brat in hand-to-hand combat," I mumbled against his lips, prodding him in the stomach. A growl ripped through his throat as he scowled at me, "I am sure those shitheads will hold their tongues, especially if I was there."

I giggled and pushed him away from me as I heard a loud foot falls sprinting over. One of the cadets sprinted over and my veins turned icy. I couldn't explain why I suddenly felt so uncomfortable, but I shrugged it off as the cadet came skidding to a stop.

"Lieutenant (L/N) ma'am," He saluted, his features youthful yet rugged. His skin pasty white and his eyes a reddish brown, his hair dark and a mess on his head, fell past his ears and brushed his shoulders. He looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place his face.

"What is it?" I snapped, turning my gaze onto the male.

He froze for a moment when he saw Levi. His eyes darting back and forth between us before he settled back on me, "Could you possibly teach me some of those moves from that hand-to-hand combat session? I realise that it will stand for nothing against our final grade but I would really like the opportunity to learn from a scout," He asked, his voice rushed as Levi turned to scowl at him, his eyes assessing the cadet, sizing him up.

Levi muttered something under his breath, leaning back against the trunk of the tree as he observed the boy darkly.

"Sure. However I am rather busy, so you may have to forfeit your dinner," I mumbled, stroking my chin thoughtfully, giving a half-hearted smile at the cadet.

He didn't seem phased by my suggestion, he just smiled, a little creepy but it seemed harmless enough as he said, "Sure thing. I will meet you in the training grounds during dinner then."

I nodded once and the cadet walked off, chuckling. My eyes widened slightly as I recognised the chuckle. It was the same one I heard a few nights back when we were burning the documents. I brushed the feeling of dread off, there was no way a cadet, who I don't even know, would be following me around? I was just being silly, right?

Levi continued to grumble under his breath as I approached him, pinching his flushed cheek, "Are you jealous, Levi?" I questioned, smirking at him.

He placed his lips to my wrist before clamping down on the skin with his teeth. I shrieked and yanked my hand away from him, cursing under my breath as I rubbed the spot where he had bitten me. It didn't hurt, it just caught me by surprise. Especially when the man had an to make sure everything that entered his mouth had been cleaned and sterilised, or thoroughly cooked.

"You still haven't answered my question, shorty!" I growled, placing my hand on my hip and raising an eyebrow at him. Levi clicked his tongue against his cheek, catching me by the waist and thrusting me against the trunk of the tree. I blushed furiously as I realised what I had just done, I could definitely see that he was more than a little excited, however there was nothing either one of us could do about it.

"Maybe just a little, since that shithead is stealing my brat away from me. Especially when I could have her taking care of more important things," He said seductively, his voice low and sexy, causing me to gulp as I stared at the magnificent man, "But don't worry, I am sure I can wait a little longer."

Levi's prov.

The day had long since finished, training with the other half of the shitty cadets had only turned up one extra who was in the year above the rest. Oluo Bozado, he seemed far to old to be in the cadets. Probably had enough of collecting firewood and picking plants, decided to join the military in order to become a real man. However I didn't appreciate his enormous amount of self confidence, and his ego definitely took up the entire field as he tried to show off. But he did seem to get the job done so I had to give him credit for that.

I slowly ate my dinner as I tried to tune out the ramblings of Hanje. Herself and the goliath, Mike had tagged along later during the day. Hanje only wanted to be here so she could see me in action, honestly, was I not allowed five fucking minutes away from her incessant theories and titan love story bullshit. At the present time, all she could talk about was her titan friends and how she was fascinated by the genealogy, jeez this woman could talk the hind legs off a stone donkey.

I sipped at my tea. At least I didn't have to put up with the hormonal teenage brats. (F/N) was right of course, all of the female cadets were falling over each other's feet in order to try and get me to notice them. However the will never know that I only have eyes for one woman. Come to think of it, where is that woman? I sighed and stood up, grabbing my plate and washing the dish up thoroughly before heading for the door. She should have been back by now. The superiors, as I have come to understand, have their dinner later on in the evening once the cadets had finished, and her sparring session with that brat should have finished by now.

Tch... Maybe she pulverised him into the ground and needed to take him to the infirmary, I thought as I walked out of the cabin without saying a word to the others. The Section Commander's electric blue gaze following me as I left. I clicked the door shut and headed down across the dirt path down to the training grounds. The light was dim, with only the crescent moon to offer me some light.

I scanned the dirt field for two sparring figures but I couldn't see anyone, Oh she better not be playing fucking games with me, I grumbled as I walked around the field. I stopped suddenly when I heard a metallic crunch under my boot. I lifted my foot and bent down to pick whatever it was up. I held it up to the light and I felt my heart stop, a sharp icy shiver crashed through my spine, my limbs became rigid as I realised what it was. The silver pendant glistened in the soft glow of the moonlight.

But how... she promised...

...

"Promise me one thing?" I asked, running my hands down her bare back as she turned her face toward me. Her cheeks flushed after our morning love making.

"Anything," She whispered, her voice breathy as she pressed her back flush up against my skin. I relished the contact with her, her (E/C) orbs overflowing with love and affection.

"Promise me you will never take this off," I murmured, trailing my fingers over the bracelet with her new addition. The silver pendant giving off a blinding glare against the sun's powerful rays.

She smiled and turned herself so she was facing my fully, her hair wild and messy around her face. Her lips swollen from the force of our ferocious kissing, "I promise."

...

My eyes searched frantically around the space, noticing how the ground had been disturbed by some sort of scuffle. My breath caught in my throat as I found teared shreds of her favourite olive green shirt. My heart jumped in my mouth as I collapsed onto my knees, "(FFFFF/NNNN)!" I roared, tears springing into my eyes. There was only one conclusion that came to mind. Someone had taken the love of my life.

Well that person was going to pay dearly. I didn't care what the cost was, I would find who ever did this and tear them to fucking pieces. In that moment I realised I would do absolutely anything for her, even if it meant sacrificing myself.

I sobbed silently, my hands clenching into fists around the pendant, cutting into my flesh, enough that I felt a trickle of blood down my hands. I glared up at the moon, my whole body shaking violently, my voice a low, venomous growl, "I will find you (F/N), no matter what it takes!"